Europe’s Finest: Rankings for football’s top players (October 31st)

With the coming of winter, we are well into the swing of things with the season, with the temperatures gauged, machinery oiled and silhouettes sketched. As we come into the big games that will set the pecking order for the rest of the season, let’s look at who the top performers are around Europe.

Side note: Apologies for the delay! The next issue of this series was originally slated for October 24th, following the first week of football after the October international break, but due to academic commitments, I couldn’t get it done.

For the unfamiliar, the nature of this list is as follows:-

10. Nico Paz (Last position: 9)

Nico Paz has had an up-and-down October. The Argentine superstar had a tough time against Atalanta, although he was admittedly let down by his teammates’ finishing rather than his own abilities, creating multiple chances throughout the game. However, after the international break, Paz came screaming back into the headlines with his oppression of Juventus in a 2-0 win, the first goal being set up by Paz with a cross that soared over the entire Juventus backline before being caught by Marc-Oliver Kempf’s foot at the far post, and the second goal being delivered by Paz himself on the break, punctuated with a ridiculous finish that snaked its way between two pairs of outstretched Juventus legs before bending into the corner.

Furthering the hot-and-cold nature of this month, Paz had a pretty quiet game against Parma in a 0-0 draw, failing to create anything of real value for himself or for his teammates. Against Hellas Verona however, he put on a masterclass, not being directly involved in the goals himself but playing a more İlkay Gündoğan-esque role, moving around the ball and getting it into the right areas rather than demanding it at feet. If he can change his playstyle this effectively this quickly, the sky is the limit.

It’s hard to imagine after the 6-0 thumping they took to Bayern Munich at the start of the season, but RB Leipzig have one of the best defenses in Europe right now, and look a right challenge for the Bavarian champions in the race for the Meisterschale despite Bayern’s flying form, and a lot of it comes down to Castello Lukeba.

Lukeba began the month showcasing his box defending against Borussia Dortmund, only being beaten once by Yan Couto’s pop-shot that should never have dropped to him in the first place. Then against Hamburg, he showed his ability to push further up the field with higher pressing, more aggressive marking and more control over the game, becoming Leipzig’s lynch-pin in build-up. Then against Augsburg, he showed his ability to play further up the field too, marauding into Augsburg’s half beyond the first line of the press and even getting a goal to show for that play. Lukeba is one of the most impressive centre-backs around, not just for his physicality and his passing range, combined with the uniqueness of his profile as a left-footer, but also for his carrying and dribbling ability. A centre-back just shouldn’t be able to dribble like he does, twisting and turning pressers inside out like he’s playing between the lines. And yet he does.

Nuno Mendes got a lot of hype towards the start of the season, and Lord knows why, because he started the season with nothing going for him in my opinion. However, as the season has progressed, he has grown and grown to the stage he is at now, one of the most in-form full-backs in the world. The assist against FC Barcelona, leaving Jules Koundé in the dust before threading a pass across the face of Barcelona’s defense that ended with a fantastic Senny Mayulu finish. Paris Saint-Germain are in an injury crisis, and it showed in the game against LOSC Lille where they failed to create any big chances aside from an Achraf Hakimi chance that probably should’ve gone in. However, they did score one, and it was a beautiful free kick from none other than Mendes himself. Did anyone else know he can take free kicks? I sure didn’t.

Mendes was limited to, as Chuck Smith loves to put it, ‘garbage time’ against RC Strasbourg in a 3-3 draw, but was marvelous against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, and once again scored PSG’s only goal against FC Lorient in a 1-1 draw. The team is struggling right now, but Mendes is their beacon of hope, and his guiding light is the only thing that’s let them keep that top position in Ligue 1.

7. Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig)

Christoph Baumgartner is such an RB Leipzig-coded player that after his first season at Leipzig wrapped, I was saddened to see he wasn’t that effective. I forgot that, at the end of the day, Leipzig have oodles of Red Bull pouring through their veins, and that comes with patience and aptitude, and that patience is paying dividends as Baumgartner is the life-blood of the Leipzig attack right now.

Against Dortmund, Baumgartner was the one to open the scoring just six minutes in. Against HSV, Baumgartner opened the scoring with a wonderful header meeting a wonderful Antonio Nusa cross. Hamburg would go on to equalise with a lucky deflection, but no problem, as Baumgartner doubled his tally with a fantastic one-two involving Rômulo after receiving the ball under immense pressure in the middle. The game against Augsburg had strange parallels to Leipzig’s own loss to Bayern, with the first three goals being split amongst the non-central attackers, but Baumgartner, much like Harry Kane, showed that he is still the centre-piece of this attack with a goal, and then a fantastic assist with the outside of his boot for Assan Ouédraogo. The DfB Pokal called next, and Baumgartner answered the call with a brace once again, leading the charge as Leipzig ran out 4-1 winners over Energie Cottbus.

It has been a scintillating month for Baumgartner, who has adapted his game fantastically, and that Harry Kane parallel was no accident. The same way Kane has gone from being a striker with playmaking ability to playing almost as an attacking midfielder this season, Baumgartner has gone from being an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal to playing pretty much as a second striker this season, with Rômulo taking over some of the more deep-lying responsibilities, which is a perfect adaptation for Leipzig’s out-of-possession game too, allowing Baumgartner’s workrate and pressing intensity to be maximised while Rômulo adapts to the German game.

Éder Militão has always been a defender with elite capabilities, but any consistent run of form has been punctuated by bouts of injury during his spell at Real Madrid. However, it seems this season, he has finally managed to shake the issues off, and is playing at a high, high level. The game against Atlético Madrid was admittedly a goalfest for the opposition, but it was not Militão’s fault, with the game-plan itself faltering. However, against Villarreal, he was fantastic, only being beaten by a shot from Gerard Moreno that should’ve never reached him in the first place, being offered far too much space at the edge of the box by Real’s midfield. These errors would slowly be stripped away from Real’s game as the month went on, with a fantastic game against Getafe that showcased Militão’s abilities on the ball more than his defensive acumen, which would be tested in the next two games.

And boy were they heavy games.

The game against Juventus was a tough battle defensively, but Militão rose to the occasion beautifully, delivering an elite performance out-of-possession while also showcasing that he might be the quintessential Xabi Alonso centre-back, marauding into Juventus’ half of the pitch and moving the ball around with ease. And then, and then.

In a game that saw Real Madrid dominate FC Barcelona, Militão was the one that made it happen, not only through his fantastic defensive performance, not only through his amazing showcase of control against the kamikaze Hansi Flick press, but through the moments that make Real Madrid who they are. The knock-down header for Jude Bellingham’s goal was inch-perfect, evading the entire Barcelona defense and Wojciech Szczęsny before falling perfectly to the Englishman’s feet. Just wow.

What a centre-back. Somehow, someway, Real Madrid have gotten away with it again. After winning two Champions League titles without a set centre-back pairing, they now have their hands on Éder Militão and Dean Huijsen.

5. Erling Haaland (Last position: 3)

The last few weeks have felt like a three-way showdown between Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé, an old-fashioned shootout between the three finest marksmen in the world, and while all three had bullets missing in the chamber this month, I believe it was Haaland who blinked first, and blinked longest.

The Norwegian has been fantastic, don’t get me wrong. Manchester City have scored seven goals in October, and six of those were scored by Haaland himself, but City’s failure to get it done at Villa Park showcased the systemic issues that are plaguing City in attack right now. There is light at the end of the tunnel with the return of Rayan Cherki, but this list isn’t about the future. Let’s see how Haaland and City respond to this setback in the weeks to come.

4. David Raum (Last position: 6)

To my knowledge, this is the first time that three players from the same team have appeared in the same week, and I couldn’t think of a team more deserving than RB Leipzig. Bayern might be the best team in the world right now, but they are so structurally balanced that it almost feels odd picking individuals out. With Leipzig however, you can very clearly tell who the leaders are, and there is no man that is more influential or crucial to Leipzig right now than their captain: David Raum.

That back-four of David Raum, Castello Lukeba, Willi Orbán and Ridle Baku is one of the most impressive on the ball, and part of it comes down to Raum’s flexibility, being capable of playing in the first line as a wide centre-back, as an inverted creative option, or down the flank as a traditional wing-back. This flexibility combined with Raum’s relentless work ethic has created a player capable of being in three places at once. No, really, watch Leipzig play, and you will see this man popping up wherever he wants, but never doing whatever he wants. No, Raum is not that kind of player. Raum is the man to lift his teammates up, and he has done exactly that, putting in unbelievable performance after unbelievable performance, all while not recording a goal or assist in the Bundesliga since the 20th of September. He did nab a pair of assists in the cup, finding Baumgartner’s head from a corner and then Baumgartner again from a cheeky early free-kick, Thiago-to-Thomas-Müller style.

Take notes, kids. THIS is how you lead by example.

3. Kylian Mbappé (Last position: 5)

Say what you will about influencing a game in all phases, or showing yourself on the ball. Certain players just don’t need to do that, and one of the prime examples of it is Kylian Mbappé. The captain of the French national team just doesn’t seem to put his stamp on games as much as you might expect of a player of his abilities, but what he actually does is concentrate that ability into what I said earlier: the Real Madrid Moments. He bagged goals against Villarreal and the almighty Getafe (and I do really mean almighty, did you see their shape that game?), and was THE difference-maker in what is still the biggest game in club football.

Mbappé may have been marginally offside, but what a volley to send the stadium into pandemonium. He would eventually get a legal goal too, but his performance against Juventus is what drags him down a little for me. He just didn’t seem on it like he usually does, although he still had a few dangerous moments.

2. Michael Olise (Last position: 4)

Is that not the beauty of sport? That we can all hold our own opinions, and recognise our biases, but still hold firm in our beliefs?

Speaking of ‘the beauty of sport’: Michael Olise.

What is there left to say that hasn’t been said already. A quieter game against Eintracht Frankfurt, yes, but the winning goal in Der Klassiker, one created by his relentless workrate, an outrageous performance against Club Brugge while playing out of position, a delicious assist amongst many delicious passes and plays against Borussia Mönchengladbach, and that goal against FC Köln which saw him win the ball in his own half, progress it forward to start a counter and then finish the counter himself. We are watching one of the all-time greats write his story in real time, and we should appreciate it.

1. Harry Kane (Reign: 37 days)

Speaking of ‘all-time greats’: Harry Edward Kane MBE.

The English striker, much like Mbappé and Haaland, blinked, failing to score or assist in the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. What he did do however, that neither of them do, is affect the game all over the pitch whilst also being the difference-maker in the final third in his other games.

Luis Díaz may have been the man against Frankfurt, but Kane’s contributions cannot be understated, moving the ball exceptionally well, hitting the woodwork from a very tight angle (a chance that was created by, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, a Dayot Upamecano overhead kick), but getting a goal, and what a goal it was. I don’t think I’ll ever see a finish better than Harry Kane vs Eintracht Frankfurt on the 4th of October, 2025. That’s the kind of finish you see from a freekickerz video that they show the replay of from five different angles in slow-motion after six hours of trying against a goalkeeper that just wants to go home. Magical. Divine. Gorgeous. The kind of shot I’d sacrifice my first-born to score. Maybe not that last one. Maybe.

Kane then showed up to the Allianz Arena for Der Klassiker and I think the kit-man must have put his number on upside-down because he decided he’s going to be a defensive midfielder all of a sudden, and for some reason, he’s the best defensive midfielder in the world???????? What is going on?????

In a game where Kane had maybe two touches in the box, he still somehow managed to score, beating Serhou Guirassy in the air from a Joshua Kimmich corner to give Bayern the lead. Admittedly, Kane probably should’ve had a second in the game against Club Brugge, but his one goal was enough to keep his streak running, the product of a fantastic set of passes between Luis Díaz and Konrad Laimer.

The cup game against Köln was Bayern’s first real struggle of the season, with the first half-hour or so being a real pressure cooker for the team as Köln threw body after body forward, and managed to get a goal for it, putting Bayern on the chase for the first time this season. That may not have lasted long as Luis Díaz put Bayern back on level terms within minutes, but Kane was the one who killed the game, his second goal being identical to the corner against Borussia Dortmund, but it was his first that is the lasting image from the game, an outrageous finish on the turn on his weak foot from a narrow angle with both the defender and a closed-in keeper to beat. You could probably give a professional striker ten bites at the cherry from that situation with their body facing goal and they wouldn’t manage to score, but somehow Kane did it without even knowing where the goal is. Scratch that, he definitely knew, but he couldn’t see it.

Harry Kane is somehow the best midfielder in the world, and the best striker in the world wrapped into one package, and that makes it no contest for who the best player in the world is right now.

What did you make of our picks? Is there anyone we left out? Let us know in the discussion below.